The Board has remanded the case for an addendum medical opinion to address the nature and etiology of the Veteran's thyroid disabilities, including whether they are related to service or herbicide exposure.
The deciding factor: The November 2023 VA examiner’s opinion is inadequate as it did not consider the Veteran's lay statements regarding his symptoms during service and post-service.
- Claimed conditions
- Thyroid condition
- How they argued it
- Not specified
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- None in this decision
- Decision date
- January 17, 2024
- Citation
- 24002414
Veterans Law Judge
Decisions by this judge: 2,199 · Granted: 25% (granted or partly granted, in the vetted decisions on this site)
Judge attribution: 2025 complete; earlier years partial.
This is a plain-language summary generated by AI from a public Board of Veterans’ Appeals decision. It can contain errors — always verify against the original. Look up the original decision on VA.gov (opens in a new tab) using citation 24002414.
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has decided to remand the case for a VA examination and medical opinions regarding the Veteran's thyroid disability. The claim will be readjudicated after these are obtained.
- Dismissed
The appeal of the June 2025 AOJ decision regarding entitlement to service connection for disabilities caused by thyroid is dismissed. The AOJ's denial of other claims (bilateral knee, shoulder, hip, neuropathy, and stomach ulcer) is remanded.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board has remanded the case due to insufficient evidence regarding whether the Veteran's service-connected low back and knee disabilities contributed to his obesity, which then contributed to his hypothyroidism. The case will be returned for an addendum opinion from a VA examiner.
- Partly granted
The Board denied service connection for a thyroid condition and remanded claims for a left thigh/femur condition and gastrointestinal condition.
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